Pros & Cons of Buying a Home with a Swimming Pool

Buying a home with a swimming pool is a dream for a lot of homebuyers. It can offer a great way to entertain friends, exercise, and relax, but there are many things to consider when buying a home with a pool. Along with the good points, a pool in your backyard does come with a lot of negative, so it’s important to weigh all of the pros and cons, before taking the plunge.

The PROs

There are many benefits to having a home with a pool, let’s take a look.

Entertaining
When you are entertaining guests, a pool can really add to the experience. Whether you are having a party, BBQ, or hosting a birthday, it will make the event even better. Your home will be a place your friends want to visit more often.

Exercise
Swimming is a great form of exercise. You use your whole body without putting any stress on your joints, building strength, endurance, and cardiovascular health. If you have an injury or other condition that makes exercise difficult, swimming could be the perfect way to exercise.

Swimming is a good way of burning calories too. Even at a gentle swimming pace, you can burn over 400 calories per hour. This is better than many other activities, like walking or yoga.

Relaxing
Having a pool gives you the opportunity to take a dip and refresh after a stressful day at work. It will allow you to easily decompress when you need it. Instead of soaking in the bath to relax, you can jump in the pool.

Cooling Off
On a hot day, what is better than taking a plunge in your very own pool? In the hot summer months, it will be something you value a lot to cool yourself down.

Adding Value
Owning a home with a swimming pool can increase the value of the property. This is particularly true in warmer parts of the country, where it can add $20,000 to the value of the home. On the flip side, it can be a home improvement mistake to add a pool because it can easily cost $60,000-$70,000 to have built. So it’s a huge plus to buy a home that already has a pool. It is also a feature that can make the home easier to sell and a desired option in warmer climates.

The CONs

Owning a pool does, unfortunately, come with quite a few downsides.

Maintainance and Repair
A swimming pool does require a lot of maintenance. You have to have regular maintenance and repairs to make sure the it is safe to use. This could mean spending money to have the pool cleaned, as much as once a week, in the height of the summer. Repair bills can be considerable too. If there is a leak in your pool, you are looking at a bill costing $1,000 upwards to get it properly repaired.

Causing Illness
If a pool isn’t sufficiently maintained, it can lead to problems. The pH levels need to be kept within a safe range through regular testing. If the alkalinity is higher or lower than it should be, the chlorine may not be doing its job, or the water could be too acidic to be safe.

If the chlorine levels are wrong, germs can contaminate the water. This can cause ear infections, respiratory conditions, and rashes, not to mention diarrhea.

Safety Risk
As well as the potential to make people ill, it is also a drowning hazard. Unfortunately, hundreds of young children die every year when falling into backyard pools.

If you have children, this should be a great concern. Fencing can remove the risk, as long as the kids aren’t able to find another way into the area.

In addition, children should be taught about pool safety from a young age and be taught how to swim, this includes babies and toddlers.

Insurance
Your normal homeowner’s insurance may not be enough if you have a swimming pool. There is a risk of being sued if someone is injured, or worse, killed. Extra coverage will protect you from attorney fees and costs if you are found liable.

Taking Up Space
A pool and its safety fencing are going to take up a lot of room. This could leave almost no room for anything else in your backyard on a small lot. You may have to choose between a yard or a pool, but not both.

Electricity Bills
Even if your pool isn’t heated, you will have to spend hundreds extra per year to run the pumps. Heated pools increase this cost considerably, with heating potentially costing $600 per month. Yes, that is a per month estimation of cost if the heat is running every single day.

Attracting Insects
It isn’t only your friends that will be attracted to your pool, insects will love it too. Bugs and mosquitoes will need to be removed frequently from the surface to avoid the problem getting out of hand.

Other wildlife can also find their way into it leaving you to scoop their carcass out of the water in the morning. While this might not be a big problem, it will certainly detract from your morning swim.

Final Thoughts

Buying a pool home comes with a lot of pros, but it comes with some cons too. So it’s important you weigh both before committing to buy a home that has a pool. Oftentimes buyers only think about the positives and don’t realize the negatives until they already own one. So unless they plan on selling and buying a new home they will have to deal with all of the negatives.

Please consider spreading the word and sharing; Pros & Cons of Buying a Home with a Swimming Pool

Buying a pool home comes with a lot of pros, but it comes with some cons too. So it's important to weigh both before jumping in. #homebuying #realestate Click to Tweet

Popular Questions About Buying a Home with a Pool 

How much does it cost to maintain a pool? The cost of maintaining a swimming pool can vary depending on several factors, including the size, the region you live in, the type, and the level of maintenance required. Generally, you can expect to spend an average of $1,200 to $1,800 per year on basic maintenance and upkeep. This includes expenses such as water and chemical treatments, cleaning equipment, regular cleaning and vacuuming, and seasonal opening and closing procedures.

Additionally, there are ongoing costs such as electricity for running the pool pump and filtration system, as well as potential repairs and replacements of equipment or components. It’s important to note that these are estimated figures, and actual costs can vary significantly depending on individual circumstances and preferences.

Can homeowners insurance be higher if I own a swimming pool? Yes, homeowners insurance premiums can be higher if you have a swimming pool. They are considered an attractive nuisance and pose potential liability risks, which insurance companies take into account when determining premiums. The presence of one increases the likelihood of accidents, such as drownings or injuries, which could lead to liability claims.

As a result, insurance companies may charge higher premiums to cover the increased risk associated with pool ownership. The exact impact on your insurance premiums will depend on various factors, including the type, safety measures in place (e.g., fencing, alarms), local regulations, and the insurance company’s policies. It’s essential to notify your insurance provider about the presence of a swimming pool to ensure proper coverage and discuss any potential premium adjustments.

Does my vacation property need to have a private swimming pool? If you plan on buying a vacation property, depending on the area, it may need to have one to ensure you keep your vacation rental booked all year long. You’ll need to analyze what the main attraction is for where your vacation property is located. Are people coming to relax on the beach? Hang by the pool? Climb or bike through the mountains? Or is the main attraction skiing or snowboarding?

How do you create a backyard oasis? It’s easy to create a backyard oasis when you have a private swimming pool. Oftentimes, it becomes the main focus of the backyard, a place where everyone wants to be. So if you entertain often having one will be something everyone will enjoy.

However, there are other alternatives, such as beautiful landscaping and extended living spaces, such as a covered patio with seating. Maybe a hammock swinging between two trees. There are a lot of different, and cost-effective ways, to create a backyard oasis.

About the Author

Top Wellington Realtor, Michelle Gibson, wrote: “Pros & Cons of Buying a Home with a Swimming Pool”

Michelle has been specializing in residential real estate since 2001 throughout Wellington Florida and the surrounding area. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or rent she will guide you through the entire real estate transaction. If you’re ready to put Michelle’s knowledge and expertise to work for you call or e-mail her today.

Areas of service include Wellington, Lake Worth, Royal Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, Greenacres, and more.

Pros & Cons of Buying a Home with a Swimming Pool